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10 Things You Need to Know About the 2019 Acura RDX

The Acura RDX made its debut back in 2007 as a new compact luxury crossover. Now, the 2019 RDX brings new life to this growing segment with its third generation. It also kicks off the next generation of vehicles for Acura with improved infotainment functions, a luxurious interior, and a new turbocharged engine.

This five-passenger crossover has an updated, modern look inside out along with the latest active and passive safety technologies. Here are 10 things you need to know about the all-new 2019 Acura RDX.

1. There are four available trims to choose from.

The 2019 Acura RDX is available in four different trims. Each comes standard with front-wheel drive, while the optional all-wheel drive costs an additional $2,000. The base RDX includes a power tailgate, panoramic moonroof, and heated front seats that are 12-way power adjustable at $37,300. The RDX Technology adds navigation with natural voice recognition, real-time traffic, perforated leather-trimmed sport seats, ELS audio with 12 speakers, a blind-spot monitor, and a rear cross-traffic alert at $40,500.

The RDX A-Spec is a sporty appearance package that includes black exterior trim, unique badging, leather-trimmed sport seats with Ultrasuede, and a 16-speaker ELS audio system at $43,500. At the top is the Advance priced at $45,400 with heated rear seats, wood trim, and a head-up display.

2. There's a new version of all-wheel drive.

The fourth generation of Acura's Super Handling all-wheel drive system, or SH-AWD, makes its first appearance on the RDX lineup, making this luxury crossover an even more appealing option for those who live where the weather isn’t always sunny. SH-AWD is designed to provide more control and better handling.

A key part of the system is dynamic torque vectoring to further enhance responsiveness and performance, especially in poor weather. Up to 70 percent of torque can be sent directly to the rear wheels, with 100 percent of that directed to either the right or left rear wheel depending on what’s needed to provide the best control.

3. There’s a new touchpad infotainment interface.

The infotainment system in the RDX comes standard with a 10.2-inch display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, and Acura connected service with 4G LTE connectivity.

The new RDX also features Acura’s new True Touchpad interface. Unlike other systems, this touchpad doesn’t require following a cursor on the screen to navigate menu selections. It’s mapped one-to-one to the driving environment so locations on the touchpad correspond directly with the same location on the display screen. The touchpad itself is concave to make it easier for drivers to instantly differentiate between the center and corners without having to take their eyes away from the road. This makes the system easier to navigate and less distracting than what you’ll find with other touchpads.

4. Power now comes from a turbocharged engine.

The 2019 Acura RDX says goodbye to its old 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine and hello to a peppy 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It produces 280 horsepower with 272 lb-ft of torque, providing a nice jump from the 270 horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque in the old V6 — and an advantage over its competitors.

Not only does it have more power than the outgoing RDX, but this engine is also tuned to deliver 40 percent more low-end torque. That makes the new RDX a more responsive ride and helps it gain the honor of being the quickest RDX ever. This might be a crossover with all the utility that implies, but it also has enough power to appeal to performance-focused drivers.

5. It’s the first compact SUV with a 10-speed transmission.

Transmissions aren’t very exciting things to talk about, but they can have a huge impact on how a vehicle drives. A well-executed transmission with more gears drives more smoothly, is quieter, and makes better use of an engine’s power. The 2019 Acura RDX has the first and only 10-speed automatic transmission in its class.

This advance lets the RDX make better use of the engine’s low-end torque for a stronger response, especially when you hit the gas hard, with seamless gear changes. You won’t feel or hear them whether you let the transmission do all the work itself or choose to use the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifts to manage gear shifts on your own.

6. The RDX has a new body and chassis.

The RDX has an all-new body and chassis designed to deliver a better driving experience and a smoother ride. This includes a wheelbase that is 2.6 inches longer for improved passenger comfort and more cabin space. There is also an additional 3.4 cubic feet for cargo behind the rear seats and an extra 1.7 cubic feet of underfloor storage with partitioned cubbies. Meanwhile, a fully flat rear floor ensures that everyone has a comfortable seating position.

Adding to ride quality is over 50 percent high-strength steel in the body, which makes the RDX more rigid. This helps deliver better handling and reduce cabin noise for a smoother and quieter ride for passengers.

7. This is the first Acura SUV available as an A-Spec.

The 2019 RDX is the first Acura suv to get an A-Spec package. This adds sporty appearance upgrades to the RDX's interior and exterior that make it stand out from the rest of the lineup. There are 20-inch Shark Gray alloy wheels with low-profile tires, a unique lower front fascia, and gloss-black accents for the grille. Around back are larger diameter dual exhaust finishers with A-Spec badging on the tailgate and front quarter panels.

The interior gets sport seats wrapped in black or red leather with Ultrasuede inserts and contrast stitching. There is also aluminum trim on the center console and doors, A-Spec badges, and a stitched leather sport steering wheel with gloss black trim to finish the look.

8. It offers a strong suite of standard safety technologies.

The 2019 Acura RDX has a solid group of standard safety features as a part of AcuraWatch. This suite of safety and driver-assist technologies includes collision-mitigation braking management with a forward-collision warning, road-departure mitigation with a lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, and lane-keeping assistance.

In addition to its standard features, all but the base model include a blind-spot monitoring system, a rear cross-traffic alert, and front and rear parking sensors.

9. The ELS Studio 3D audio was designed by a Grammy-winning producer.

Audiophiles will love the all-new Acura ELS Studio 3D premium audio system, which is available on select versions of the RDX. This 710-watt system includes 16 speakers with four ultra-slim Highline speakers mounted in the ceiling to provide incredible sound.

It was developed through the combined efforts of Acura, Panasonic, and Grammy-winning music producer Elliot Scheiner. The goal was to provide the best possible fidelity with dynamic range and to deliver a new dimension of sound to your music.

10. Natural language recognition understands voice commands better.

Voice-recognition systems are a great feature because they help reduce driver distraction by keeping the driver’s eyes focused on the road rather than on the infotainment screen. The problem is they don’t always work well. The driver often ends up repeating misunderstood commands and eventually having to use the infotainment screen anyway out of sheer frustration.

The RDX features the first application of Acura’s new natural language recognition system, which hopes to eliminate this problem. It lets the driver speak more naturally and intuitively issue voice commands to control vehicle features and functions, including the available navigation system.